Iran Focus: Tehran, Nov. 30 - The Supreme Court of Iran has upheld a stoning sentence for a woman accused of adultery. Hajieh Esmailvand has been serving prison time in the town of Jolfa (Northwestern Iran) since Jan. 2000 for having an affair with a 17-year-old boy. Iran Focus

Tehran, Nov. 30 - The Supreme Court of Iran has upheld a stoning sentence for a woman accused of adultery. Hajieh Esmailvand has been serving prison time in the town of Jolfa (Northwestern Iran) since Jan. 2000 for having an affair with a 17-year-old boy.

Originally she had been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and death by hanging; however the Supreme Court subsequently changed the verdict from death by hanging to death by stoning.

One informed source told Iran Focus that the Supreme Court has ordered that the remainder of Hajiehs prison sentence be annulled so that the stoning sentence can be carried out before 21 December 2004.

The boy whom Hajieh had the affair with is also on death row awaiting official orders to be hanged in public. His identity has not been made clear.

The Supreme Court has also upheld the death sentence for a 24-year-old woman called Najmeh Vosoogh Razavi who was studying law in university. Najmeh is to be hanged in public next week.

At least four women have been hanged since Jan. 2004 with at least a dozen more sentenced to execution.

On Nov. 20 a female member of Irans parliament (Majlis) was quoted by state-run newspapers as saying, if 10 prostitutes were executed, there would be no more prostitutes on the streets.